North Andover CPC recommends $1.9 million for FY 2018 projects

As the May 16 Town Meeting approaches, the North Andover Community Preservation Committee has laid out its project recommendations for the next fiscal year.

The CPC is recommending 10 projects be funded (technically nine projects and administrative expenses), for an amount totaling $1,914,460.

The Board of Selectmen has voted unanimously to recommend approval of the projects at Town Meeting.

"This year was probably what I would call a normal year for applications for CPC. Last year, we got quite a few applications, to the point where we were possibly in the situation where we couldn’t fund projects that had merit," CPC Chair John Simons said. "This year was probably a more normal year. Every project we got was actually a good, well-conceived, well-thought-out ideas."

Several of the proposals brought to the CPC were not recommended, for various reasons including timing and value assessment, Simons added.

Here’s a run-down of this year’s CPC proposals.

1. Affordable Housing Trust, $100,000

This is something the CPC has funded for the past few years, and Simons said they are pleased with the leadership of the Affordable Housing Trust under Laurie Burzlaff.

"We’ve gotten a bunch of really good projects, I think we feel comfortable as a committee with the process of that, and I think we’re perfectly fine continuing the $100,000 of funding for that," Simons said.

2. Middle School Athletic Complex – Final Design, $600,000

This project comes with the biggest price tag on the list and sets the wheels in motion for the much-anticipated middle school fields renovation and expansion.

"I think everybody is hugely excited about that," Simons said. "That was based on the consultant that we had in, extensive public input, extensive input from a bunch of town reports. So I think that’s a real win for us going forward, and I think that’s the type of thing that has the capacity to transform the community, truly."

There will be future phases of CPC funding as the design turns into construction.

"It will be expensive, but I think we’re off to a good start – I think it’s a good design," Simons said.

3. Drummond Playground Renovation, $200,000

For the past few years, the CPC has funded restoration and major renovation of the town’s playgrounds as part of the town’s Playground Master Plan.

"What is probably the one distinction here is that the recommendation is to fund it for $200,000 and not $100,000 as we’ve done in the past," Simons explained. "And the reason for that is [Drummond Playground] is the essential municipal playground. It needs more things."

You may recall last summer when Henry Schutzbank, then a fourth grader at Sargent Elementary School, addressed the Board of Selectmen about the terrible shape Drummond Playground was in and urged them to improve it.

This year, Henry will get his wish.

4. Ridgewood Cemetery Restoration, $490,000

The second biggest item on the CPC list is for the final phase of the restoration of Ridgewood Cemetery, which was commissioned about seven years ago.

"I think anybody that’s been by [the cemetery] has seen that the work that’s been done so far has turned out to be extremely beneficial to the community," Simons said.

5. Second Burying Ground Preservation

This project was proposed by the Historical Society, which is located next to the Second Burying Ground at 1 Academy Road.

"The big problem there is that the property has, probably over a lengthy period of time, not been sufficiently maintained and it requires a lot of work to pull the trees away from where the stones are, restoration of some of the stones, and so forth," Simons said.

After the Community Preservation Act was adopted by the town many years ago, the first historical project that the CPC funded was for the restoration of the gravestones of the First Burying Ground, which is right down the street from the Second Burying Ground. Simons said this project will be smaller in scope.

6. Stevens Estate Trails, $12,500

The Friends of the North Andover Trails got a bunch of volunteers together and mapped out the trails along the side of Lake Cochichewick near the Stevens Estate and Edgewood Retirement Community and looked for areas that may need fencing and ramps.

Simons said that part of the reason for the improvements proposal was the conservation easement and access Edgewood agreed to give the town as part of the expansion of its facility.

"This is for the next phase of work in the veterans housing," Simons said. "I think the work that got done there in veterans housing was very well-received by the residents in the neighborhood."

This phase will install doors on all the units and make lighting improvements on the property.

8. Restoration of Historical Fire Equipment, $65,000

"I don’t think you’d call it a whimsical project, but it’s a totally awesome project," Simons smiled. "We’re going to have those old pumpers that are 100 years old, and they’ll be available for parades, Fourth of July, those sorts of things."

The restored equipment will be displayed at the fire station on Chickering Road when not in use.

9. Stevens Memorial Library Masonry Refurbishment, $55,300

A couple years ago, the library got its massive front door restored with CPC funds, and now it’s time to do the same for the stonework along the front steps.

10. Administrative Expenses, $50,000

This number was bumped up this year, Simons said, "because there was a lot of interest in more governance, and that does cost money."

Concerns have been raised in recent years that the CPC wasn’t keeping records adequately, and this is designed to fix that.